Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of NHTSA data, the most dangerous city to drive in in Ohio is Riverside, OH with 23.0 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year (Road Danger Score 96/100), vs a US average of 12.3.
Highest Traffic-Fatality Rates in Ohio
Cities ranked by Road Danger Score — 5-year traffic deaths per 100,000 residents from NHTSA FARS.
| # | City | Danger Score | Deaths per 100K/yr | Deaths (5-Yr) | Alcohol % | Speeding % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverside | 96/100 | 23.0 | 28 | 30% | 9% |
| 2 | East Cleveland | 93/100 | 19.5 | 13 | 54% | 23% |
| 3 | Cleveland | 91/100 | 18.1 | 328 | 36% | 38% |
| 4 | Dayton | 88/100 | 16.5 | 111 | 30% | 20% |
| 5 | Brooklyn | 88/100 | 16.3 | 9 | 25% | 25% |
| 6 | Trotwood | 87/100 | 15.7 | 18 | 25% | 19% |
| 7 | Maumee | 85/100 | 14.8 | 10 | 22% | 44% |
| 8 | Youngstown | 84/100 | 14.3 | 42 | 45% | 29% |
| 9 | Warrensville Heights | 81/100 | 13.4 | 9 | 50% | 0% |
| 10 | Euclid | 79/100 | 12.9 | 31 | 43% | 37% |
| 11 | Springdale | 78/100 | 12.6 | 7 | 57% | 43% |
| 12 | Toledo | 77/100 | 12.5 | 165 | 39% | 30% |
| 13 | Cincinnati | 76/100 | 12.3 | 191 | 40% | 20% |
| 14 | Akron | 75/100 | 11.9 | 112 | 37% | 34% |
| 15 | Monroe | 70/100 | 11.1 | 10 | 22% | 22% |
| 16 | Springfield | 70/100 | 11.1 | 32 | 17% | 23% |
| 17 | West Carrollton | 69/100 | 10.9 | 7 | 29% | 43% |
| 18 | Parma Heights | 68/100 | 10.7 | 11 | 46% | 27% |
| 19 | Norton | 67/100 | 10.6 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| 20 | Canton | 66/100 | 10.2 | 35 | 29% | 15% |
| 21 | Middletown | 66/100 | 10.1 | 26 | 39% | 39% |
| 22 | Macedonia | 64/100 | 9.9 | 6 | 20% | 60% |
| 23 | Columbus | 61/100 | 9.5 | 435 | 27% | 17% |
| 24 | Clayton | 58/100 | 9.1 | 6 | 20% | 20% |
| 25 | Grove City | 56/100 | 8.8 | 19 | 26% | 21% |
| 26 | Sharonville | 56/100 | 8.7 | 6 | 33% | 33% |
| 27 | Franklin | 55/100 | 8.6 | 5 | 20% | 0% |
| 28 | Huber Heights | 53/100 | 8.3 | 18 | 24% | 35% |
| 29 | Oregon | 52/100 | 8.1 | 8 | 29% | 43% |
| 30 | Vandalia | 52/100 | 8.1 | 6 | 0% | 20% |
| 31 | Conneaut | 51/100 | 8.0 | 5 | 20% | 0% |
| 32 | Bedford | 50/100 | 7.8 | 5 | 60% | 60% |
| 33 | Lima | 48/100 | 7.5 | 13 | 23% | 15% |
| 34 | Lorain | 46/100 | 7.3 | 24 | 44% | 44% |
| 35 | Miamisburg | 44/100 | 7.1 | 7 | 57% | 29% |
| 36 | Maple Heights | 43/100 | 7.0 | 8 | 43% | 43% |
| 37 | Sandusky | 42/100 | 6.7 | 8 | 43% | 29% |
| 38 | Willoughby | 41/100 | 6.6 | 8 | 25% | 50% |
| 39 | Pataskala | 41/100 | 6.6 | 6 | 33% | 0% |
| 40 | Norwood | 39/100 | 6.3 | 6 | 40% | 60% |
| 41 | Mansfield | 35/100 | 5.8 | 14 | 14% | 21% |
| 42 | Portsmouth | 34/100 | 5.8 | 5 | 0% | 20% |
| 43 | Barberton | 34/100 | 5.7 | 7 | 43% | 14% |
| 44 | Strongsville | 33/100 | 5.7 | 13 | 8% | 17% |
| 45 | Elyria | 33/100 | 5.6 | 15 | 46% | 46% |
| 46 | Aurora | 32/100 | 5.6 | 5 | 25% | 0% |
| 47 | Athens | 32/100 | 5.6 | 7 | 17% | 83% |
| 48 | Streetsboro | 32/100 | 5.6 | 5 | 20% | 20% |
| 49 | Findlay | 31/100 | 5.5 | 11 | 27% | 18% |
| 50 | Green Township | 30/100 | 5.4 | 16 | 27% | 33% |
| 51 | Dublin | 29/100 | 5.3 | 13 | 42% | 8% |
| 52 | North Royalton | 28/100 | 5.2 | 8 | 29% | 29% |
| 53 | Troy | 28/100 | 5.2 | 7 | 29% | 0% |
| 54 | Fairborn | 28/100 | 5.2 | 9 | 44% | 22% |
| 55 | Warren | 27/100 | 5.1 | 10 | 44% | 11% |
| 56 | Hamilton | 27/100 | 5.1 | 16 | 40% | 13% |
| 57 | Marion | 27/100 | 5.1 | 9 | 22% | 11% |
| 58 | North Olmsted | 27/100 | 5.1 | 8 | 43% | 43% |
| 59 | Gahanna | 23/100 | 4.6 | 8 | 38% | 38% |
| 60 | Massillon | 21/100 | 4.3 | 7 | 29% | 29% |
| 61 | Fairfield | 19/100 | 4.1 | 9 | 33% | 33% |
| 62 | Cuyahoga Falls | 18/100 | 3.9 | 10 | 10% | 20% |
| 63 | Centerville | 17/100 | 3.8 | 5 | 25% | 0% |
| 64 | Westerville | 17/100 | 3.7 | 7 | 0% | 0% |
| 65 | Lancaster | 14/100 | 3.4 | 7 | 43% | 14% |
| 66 | North Ridgeville | 13/100 | 3.2 | 6 | 33% | 33% |
| 67 | Avon | 13/100 | 3.1 | 4 | 50% | 0% |
| 68 | Mentor | 12/100 | 3.0 | 7 | 43% | 14% |
| 69 | Wooster | 11/100 | 3.0 | 4 | 25% | 0% |
| 70 | Lakewood | 10/100 | 2.8 | 7 | 50% | 50% |
| 71 | Mason | 10/100 | 2.8 | 5 | 0% | 0% |
| 72 | Hilliard | 10/100 | 2.7 | 5 | 60% | 20% |
| 73 | Delaware | 9/100 | 2.6 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| 74 | Reynoldsburg | 9/100 | 2.4 | 5 | 40% | 0% |
| 75 | Pickerington | 8/100 | 2.3 | 3 | 67% | 67% |
| 76 | Avon Lake | 8/100 | 2.3 | 3 | 67% | 100% |
| 77 | Kent | 8/100 | 2.2 | 3 | 100% | 0% |
| 78 | Stow | 6/100 | 1.8 | 3 | 0% | 0% |
| 79 | Kettering | 6/100 | 1.8 | 5 | 20% | 20% |
| 80 | Westlake | 6/100 | 1.8 | 3 | 33% | 33% |
| 81 | Upper Arlington | 6/100 | 1.7 | 3 | 33% | 33% |
| 82 | Perrysburg | 5/100 | 1.6 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| 83 | Medina | 5/100 | 1.5 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| 84 | Shaker Heights | 4/100 | 1.4 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| 85 | Marysville | 2/100 | 0.7 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| 86 | Brunswick | 2/100 | 0.6 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous city to drive in in Ohio?
Riverside, OH has the highest traffic-fatality rate in Ohio: 23.0 deaths per 100,000 residents per year (most recent five-year period, NHTSA FARS), a Road Danger Score of 96/100.
What causes traffic deaths in these cities?
Across these 86 cities, an average of 31% of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver and 24% involved speeding (NHTSA FARS, most recent five-year period). These shares run higher than the safest-city list, alongside structural factors like road type and speed limits.
How is the Road Danger Score calculated?
The Road Danger Score is a percentile ranking from 1 to 100 based on each city's five-year traffic-fatality rate (deaths per 100,000 residents per year) from NHTSA FARS data: 100 = most dangerous to drive in, 1 = safest. See the methodology page for the full formula.